Over Reliance on ECDIS
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[MARITIME TRAINING SERVICES INC.]
[In case of any conflict between the requirements shown in the movie and the company's safety management system (SMS),]
[please follow the company's SMS requirements]
♫
[OVERRELIANCE ON ECDIS]
The 4,000 ton general cargo ship Nova Cura
was on its way to Ismir, Turkey
when it was instructed to divert
and pick up cargo at Aliaga.
In response, the crew rerouted
north of the Greek island of Lesbos
through the Mytlini Strait.
According to a Dutch Safety Board report,
this is where the ships problems began.
The new route was plotted
without sufficient voyage planning
such as conferring with local pilots
or identifying sector lights
that call attention to danger.
Because the Nova Curas officers
were overly reliant on ECDIS,
they did not utilize their
tried and true navigational skills.
The captain,
despite having 26 years total sea time,
8 with Nova Cura, did not assess the reliability
[ELECTRONIC NAUTICAL CHARTS ENC]
of the ships electronic nautical charts or ENCs
which are displayed on ECDIS.
[CATZOC CATEGORY ZONES OF CONFIDENCE]
The reliability of ENCs is assessed
through the category zones of confidence
or the CATZOC system.
The ENCs on board the Nova Cura
were based on information from the 1960s
[CATZOC RATING U UNASSESSED]
and had a CATZOC rating of U
meaning they were unassessed.
The crew was unaware of this rating
and did not check the charts for accuracy.
[NOVA CURA 5m DRAFT]
Despite having a draft of just 5 meters,
the Nova Cura grounded in the shallow
Lamna Reef resulting in a total loss.
The ships ECDIS indicated
the depth should have been 112 meters.
The Lamna Reef was actually much more shallow
than what was shown on the ENC chart.
[WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?]
Why did this happen?
[HOW DO WE PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING AGAIN?]
How do we prevent this
from occurring again?
ECDIS and ENCs
are seen as relatively new technology
so there is an assumption
they are based on modern data.
This is not true.
Sometimes, inaccurate data
is loaded onto ENCs from paper charts.
[BE AWARE IN ECDIS DEFAULT MODE]
Be aware in ECDIS default mode
[SECTOR LIGHTS ARE DISABLED]
sector lights are disabled.
ECDIS displays more information
than the user can process.
How to retrieve information
is not always clear.
Be aware of these issues
and try to address them in training.
Owners of shipping companies
whose vessels are equipped with ECDIS
are advised to follow precautions.
[DETERMINE USER FAMILIARIZATION]
Make sure to determine the extent
[WITH CATZOC, PICK REPORTS, AND SECTOR LIGHTS]
to which users are familiar with CATZOC values,
the retrieval of Pick reports or chart information
and the system sector light settings.
[CHECK THE CATZOC RATINGS]
Check the CATZOC ratings
of the ENCs for the entire route
[MARK AREAS THAT POSE A THREAT TO SAFE NAVIGATION]
and mark the areas where there may be a threat
to safe navigation.
[MODERN TECHNOLOGY LIKE ECDIS SHOULD ALWAYS BE USED ALONGSIDE TRADITIONAL NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS]
Remind ECDIS users that they must continue
to rely on traditional navigation skills
such as those required for using a paper chart
alongside modern navigation technology.
[CONSULT THE PICK REPORT FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION]
Always consult the Pick report
for additional information about those areas
that are relevant for safe navigation.
[MARK THE RELEVANT SECTOR LIGHTS AND ENABLE SECTOR LINES]
Mark the relevant sector lights for the route
and enable sector lines
whenever a sector light is passed.
[REPEAT ALL RELEVANT PREPARATIONS WHENEVER A ROUTE IS CHANGED]
Repeat all relevant voyage preparations
whenever a route is changed during a voyage.
New technology such as ECDIS
comes with tremendous benefits to the seafarer.
However, these benefits
come with new challenges and risks.
With proper voyage planning and awareness,
severe accidents can be prevented.
[MTS Maritime Training Services]